Tune In and Turn Up Your Workout

By: Ryan Campbell

Summary

Music is a powerful tool to incorporate into your workout, if done correctly. Here's how to use it.
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Why is it music and exercise go so well together?

Your playlist has the power to set the tempo of your workout, motivate you to work harder, and provides a welcome distraction to help endure those intense and longer sessions. Before you hit play on your iPod, here are some things to consider:

Have you ever been out on a run and noticed that your pace seems to be inconsistent? The music in your ears could be the trouble with your stride. Before heading out for your next run, consider your intensity and tempo for creating a playlist. Many music apps have a feature to build out your playlist based on your tempo, i.e. RunKeeper and Spotify app sync up and build out playlists based on your tempo and music preferences.

The speed of your music should match your heart rate; the beat of your music should mimic the sound of your feet pounding pavement. If you are pushing your heart rate over 140, here are a couple example:

The Killers - Mr. Brightside - 148 BPM

Bruno Mars - Locked out of Heaven - 146 BPM

Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire - 150 BPM

Phoenix - 1901 - 144 BPM

Macklemore - 148 BPM

DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win - 150 BPM

​For your easier tempo workouts, try some of the following tunes:

Alien Ant Farm, Smooth Criminal – 127 BPM

The Who – Baba O’Rielly – 120 BPM

Daft Funk- Around the World – 121 BPM

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch – 132 BPM

Calvin Harris and Rihanna, We Found Love – 128 BPM

​For longer runs, pay attention to the length of songs. The average pop songs is around the 3 minute range. If you are planning a 2-hour run, sprinkle in some songs longer in length. It will make the time go by quicker compared to 35-40 of today’s top hits. Here some suggestions from my list:

Grateful Dead, Eyes of the World – 110 BPM, 8-10 depending on the version

Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Possess Your Heart – 134 BPM, 8 minutes

Pink Floyd- Shine On You Crazy Diamond – 138 BPM, 11 minutes

Exercise is about listening. Listening to your body, listening to the environment around you, and listening for ways to improve your overall performance and enjoyment. Music might just make all the difference.